


Surrender

by whom_ping_willow



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: -probably, Alternate Universe - Medieval, F/M, Forbidden Love, M/M, Magic, Mutual Pining, Prince/servant, also i am so sorry for the cringey summary i can't really help myself, and dragons and other cool stuff, but i swear there will also be sweet and fluffy parts, cause ya know it's the medieval times where gays gets burned at a stake or something, knights and royalty and stuff, some angst probably
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-06
Updated: 2019-07-21
Packaged: 2020-01-05 16:58:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,148
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18370256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whom_ping_willow/pseuds/whom_ping_willow
Summary: Remus's family is poor and his only chance of possibly having a good life is to work at the castle, for the royal family. Not exactly his preferred job, especially when he's assigned servant for the eldest prince and heir to the throne, Sirius. But as it turns out, being at the castle becomes more than just an annoying job. Remus discovers secrets that were never meant to be discovered and breaks rules that were never meant to be broken.





	1. Leaving Home

Remus looked around the small living space, covered in dust. It was clearly a long time ago since someone had cleaned: His mother had been bedridden for a while, and his father had so many other things to take care of. But despite all the dust and the old, worn-down furniture, this was home. The small house, just left to the market, with their tiny garden where nothing had been able to grow since last winter. In fact, the whole town felt like home to Remus. 

“Can’t believe I’ll be leaving all of this behind,” he muttered. 

His father, Lyall Lupin, sighed, putting a hand on his shoulder. Remus had grown a lot over the past year, and he was almost taller than his dad now. “You can always come and visit,” he said. “There isn’t far from the castle to here.”

“I know,” Remus said. “But still… Everything is gonna change, isn’t it?”

Lyall sighed and nodded. “You’ll have a better life, Remus. And that’s all your mother and I want for you.”

In a way, Remus didn’t want to leave. He hadn’t told his dad, or anyone, about the fear he had. The fear that his mother wouldn’t be there when he came back.

She had been sick for a while now, and lately, it was getting worse. They weren’t able to afford a doctor and none of the herbs they had access to seemed to help. Remus had thought that maybe, now that he would get to work at the castle, serving the royal family, he would earn enough money to be able to take his mother to a doctor. He just hoped it wouldn’t be too late by then. 

“Can I speak to mum before I leave?” he asked, looking at his father.

 

The curtains were drawn closed inside his mother’s bedroom, and the only source of light was a candle on the little bedside table. 

Remus chewed on his bottom lip. Seeing his mum there in bed always made him a little unsettled. It seemed like she got weaker, paler and thinner every day. 

She smiled when he entered, gesturing for him to sit down.

“How are you feeling, mum?” he asked, sitting down at the small rickety chair next to her bed.

“Oh, I’m alright.”

Remus knew that was a lie, or at least her idea of ‘alright’ wasn’t the same as his. 

“I just, uhm,” he looked down at his hands, fiddling with a loose hem hanging from his sleeve, tying nods on it and twirling it around his finger. “I wanted to say goodbye before I leave.”

His mother nodded. “Of course,” she said, taking his hand. “Remus.”

He looked up, into her eyes. She had a way of making people feel like she was staring directly into their soul with her kind, yet sharp gaze. Sometimes it made Remus want to look away, but not right now. Right now he just looked back, into her deep green eyes. 

“Remember,” she said, squeezing his hand gently. “To always be kind to people. Keep your head low and your spirits high, and stay out of trouble.”

Remus nodded, smiling softly at her, mostly so she wouldn’t be so worried. “Thanks, mum. I’ll remember.” He felt like he was going to cry, but took a deep breath, instead smiling a little wider. 

Hope Lupin lifted herself up a little on the bed to kiss her son’s cheek. “And most importantly, take care, and remember that I love you,” she whispered. Remus noticed the tears in her eyes, and it made him want to be stronger. For her.

“I love you too,” he muttered.

She smiled at him. “Now go,” she said. “I know you have to get to the castle before the sun sets.”

Remus gave his mother’s hand a final squeeze before standing up, walking back into the living room and kitchen. The house was so small everything was kinda awkwardly pushed together into only a few rooms. This room was also where Remus slept. Or used to. He wouldn’t be sleeping there anymore.

“Ready to go?” His dad had been waiting for him by the door, holding a small piece of cloth, sewn together to work as a bag.

Remus answered with a nod. As ready as he would ever be. 

His dad nodded as well, then pulled Remus into a hug, which Remus returned. He knew to cherish these moments, partly because Lyall Lupin wasn’t a hugger, and partly because Remus didn’t know when he would get to see his family again. “I’ll miss you, son.” His voice was slightly shaky. He quickly straightened up, clearing his throat, before handing Remus the cloth-bag. “Here, take this. There’s some food for the trip, in case you get hungry.”

Remus nodded. “Thanks, dad.” 

“You better go now,” his dad said. “Goodbye, Remus.”

They hugged goodbye one more time, before Remus went out the door, only taking a few steps before turning around and looking back at the house. His dad was still standing in the doorway. They waved goodbye. Remus sighed, turning around. While it wasn’t much, all of this; the village, his home, his family, it still hurt to leave it behind.

 

-

 

Sirius slumped against the tree, letting out a deep sigh.

Unlike the rest of the castle, the tree at the back of the garden was peaceful and quiet. There were no responsibilities here, outside the castle walls. No one expected anything of him. 

This was the only place he could really be alone when everyone else wanted to either pamper him and treat him like a baby or drown him in responsibilities and work. Like his father said, being the heir to the throne was both a privilege and a duty. 

Sirius scoffed, kicking angrily at the grass. His boot got stuck in the dirt for a moment. Great. Now his boot was dirty. If not his mother noticed it, a maid would. 

Sirius leaned back against the tree, taking in a deep breath. He couldn’t waste his very limited alone time on being angry. 

He pulled up a dandelion from the ground, the kind you could blow on and make a wish. He did so, and sat for a while and watched the seeds getting carried with the wind. What should he wish for? 

There were many things he would like to wish for, but he knew none of them were possible. A stupid dandelion couldn’t take an away his birthright to the throne, or the duties that followed with it. It couldn’t give him a normal life where the fate of an entire kingdom wasn’t resting on his shoulders. The only way that could happen was if he died. Then his brother would take over the throne. In a strange way, he thought that might make his parents happier. They liked Regulus better, anyway. 

Finally, he closed his eyes and whispered, “I wish I could get rid of my parents.”

Sirius chuckled softly, opening his eyes and looking up at the almost cloudless sky. There were probably many people who wished for the same thing as him: for his parents to be gone. 

The evil king and queen. He knew was what people saw them as, and he couldn’t exactly say he disagreed. 

The sound of leaves ruffling as someone stepped on them could be heard behind him. He turned around, seeing a maid standing there, nervously clutching her apron. 

“Your Highness.” She bowed her head a little as she spoke to him. “The king wants to see you. He’s in the throne room, sir.”

Sirius sighed. “Tell them I’ll be right there.”

“Of course, Your Highness.” The maid nodded before hurrying back to the castle. 

Although Sirius would like to stay, he got to his feet and started walking back to the castle. His parents didn’t like to be kept waiting. 

 

-

 

When Remus finally reached the gates to the castle, he was exhausted, hungry, and had aching feet. 

Two guards were standing outside the gates, no doubt protecting the castle. As Remus got closer, they drew their swords and stepped in front of him. Remus felt a mild sense of panic, and his first reflex was to run, but he didn’t. “I’ve- I’ve come to work… here.” he swallowed, averting his gaze to the ground. “I believe they’re expecting me. My name is Remus Lupin.”

The guards looked at each other, grunted, then stepped back, just as the gates swung open. Remus looked up at the towering castle. From down here, it looked like the tallest towers almost reached the sky. Remus had never seen anything so huge before.

Looking around, he saw a boy sitting on the ground, in the process of polishing a sword. He was about Remus’s age, or so it seemed, and he had dark, messy hair.

When Remus hesitantly approached him, the boy looked up but didn’t say anything.

“Uhm, excuse me,” Remus muttered. “Can you tell me how to get to the throne room?”

The boy grinned, looking back down at the sword he was polishing. “Well, it would probably help if you went _inside_ the castle,” he said. “You aren’t gonna find it out here.”

Remus sighed quietly. “I’m aware. But do you think you can point me in the right direction?”

The boy shrugged and looked up at Remus again, examining him more carefully this time. “Did you just get here?” he asked.

Remus nodded. 

The boy grinned. “I’ve lived at the castle my whole life.”

“Oh.” That seemed like unnecessary information unless he was trying to tell Remus something. “Are you-?”

“Royalty?” the boy prompted him, a playful grin still on his face. “Even better. My dad, Sir Fleamont Potter, is the greatest, most respected knight at the castle.”

“Okay.” Remus looked at him, not sure if he was supposed to say anything special to that. “Still, can you show me the throne room?”

Although the boy seemed a little annoyed at Remus’s indifference, he got up, placing the sword on the ground where he’d just been sitting. “Follow me, then,” he said, already on his way up the few steps of stairs that led to the castle entrance.

They walked along a hallway. The guy seemed very familiar with the castle. “Are you getting work as a servant?” he asked, eyeing Remus sideways.

Remus nodded. 

The boy chuckled. “Well, you better hope you won’t have to work for the prince.”

“Why not?”

He laughed. “He’s a royal prick. Oh, and if you meet him, you can tell him I said that.”

They stopped in front of a large wooden door. “This is it,” the boy said. “The throne room.”

Remus nodded, bowing his head a little. “Thank you,” he muttered.

“Eh, no problem. I’m James, by the way.” He gave Remus a quick smile, before starting down the hallway they had come from. “Good luck!”

Remus took in a deep breath, before pressing down the handle, the heavy wooden door swinging open with a slight creak. 

The throne room was the biggest, fanciest room he’d ever seen. A lot of it was just tiled floor and huge windows, the thrones positioned in the back of the room. Which was also where two men were currently stood. The first one to catch Remus’s eye was a tall man with dark hair, wearing black silk and a cape. Remus’s breath caught in his throat for a second. That was the king. 

He was talking to another, slightly shorter man. Although this man was still dressed in fancy clothing, according to Remus’s standers, it was clear that he wasn’t royalty. Perhaps a royal supervisor, or something along those lines. 

Remus hovered in the doorway for a while, waiting for one of the two men to notice him. His heart seemed to be trying to escape his chest.

After a while of talking quietly, one of the two men, the one that wasn’t the king, looked it Remus’s direction. He rolled his eyes visibly, turning back to the king. “Your Highness, it seems that someone, a servant, I think, wants your attention.”

The king turned around to look at Remus. He was even more terrifying from the front, with his piercing grey eyes staring down Remus. “Oh,” he said, with a distinct indifference in his voice that showed how little he cared. “What is it?”

“Uh-” Remus bowed his head and cleared his throat. “I-I’ve come to get work here, Your Highness,” he stammered, his voice shaking a little. He knew how it was with the royal family. They were merciless, cruel, and any little mistake could result in harsh punishment. At least that’s what he had been told. “I, uhm, I was offered a job, Your Highness. As a servant. My name is Remus Lu-”

“Yes, yes, very well,” the king said, waving him off with an impatient hand gesture. “Hey, you there!” he yelled at someone behind Remus. A maid, who stopped in her tracks, bowing to the king. 

“Yes, Your Highness?” 

“Get my eldest son. Tell him to come to the throne room.” The king still had an air of complete and utter indifference around everything he did and said, as though Remus’s presence, as well as the maid’s, were disturbances, or mild inconveniences that needed to be dealt with. 

The maid nodded dutifully and hurried off. 

After a short while of waiting, which Remus used looking around the throne room at all the fancy, decorative stuff on the walls, the door opened again and a young man entered.

The prince resembled his father in some ways, with the striking grey eyes and defined features, but that’s about where the similarities stopped. 

While the king’s hair was short and greying, the young prince had the most beautiful dark locks, curling around his face to create a perfect frame. There was something careless and daring about him, in opposition to his father’s cold and merciless manners. 

“You wanted to see me, father?” the prince asked, in a bored tone that suggested he had better places to be.

“Ah, Sirius. We found you a new servant.” The king gestured vaguely to Remus like he was something less than human: a dog, or perhaps a chair, that was to be shown off. 

The prince raised an eyebrow at Remus. “It was about time, after what happened to the last one.”

His father nodded. “Yes. Now go, I have more important matters to attend.”

“Of course, father,” the prince said, turning around on his heel and leaving the room. He looked back over his shoulder at Remus. “Are you coming with me or are you planning on standing there all day?” he asked impatiently. 

Remus quickly followed him, almost running across the tiled floor and onto the hallway with the prince. 

Remus knew he it wouldn’t be wise to ask questions but after walking in silence for a while, quietly wondering what the prince had meant by ‘after what happened to the last one’, he just couldn’t help but let his curiosity get the best of him. 

“Your Highness?” he asked quietly, glancing at the prince.

“What?”

He cleared his throat. “Excuse me, but, may I ask what happened to the last of your servants?”

He regretted it as soon as the question had left his mouth, but to his surprise, the prince didn’t get angry. “We had to execute him, unfortunately,” he said, in a tone that was way too casual for such a dark subject. “That’s what happens when you’re too curious and find out about things you’re not supposed to.”

Remus swallowed. “Oh.”

“Not much of a loss, though,” the prince said with a shrug. “What even was his name? Severus... something?”

They stopped by a nicely decorated wooden door. Remus couldn’t help but smile a little. _Even the doors were fancy_. The prince opened and stepped inside, waiting for Remus to do the same.

“This is my room,” he said in that same bored tone of voice. Remus drew in a sharp breath, looking around. The prince’s room was about the same size as his whole house, and so much nicer, obviously. A huge bed, the size of Remus’s old room, with silk bedspreads that matched the curtains. 

“In here’s your room.” the prince pointed at a door at the far left of his room. Remus opened it, walking into the small, but still quite nice, servants room. 

“Thank you, sir,” he muttered, bowing his head. 

Sirius chuckled. “You seem surprised,” he noted. “Thought we were gonna let you sleep with the rats?”

Remus shook his head quietly, although the couldn’t help but think that, from what he had heard about the royal family, he wouldn’t be surprised. 

“Anyways.” the prince dropped down on his bed, stretching lazily. “What did you say your name was again?”

“It’s Remus Lupin, sir,” he muttered, not quite sure what to do with himself. 

The prince nodded. “Remus, I’ve got a job for you.” He gestured to something in the back of the room. Remus looked in the direction, seeing a sword placed carelessly against the wall. “The polishing kit is already in your room, I believe,” the prince said. “I want it polished so well, I can see my own reflection in it.”

Remus sighed quietly and picked up the sword. “Yes, sir. I’ll get right to it,” he muttered, already wondering why the hell he agreed to work at the castle.


	2. Kitchen Shenanigans

Remus woke up around sunrise like he always did back in the village. It took him a little while to realize that he was in fact not in the village anymore.

He sat up in bed squinting at the sunlight coming through the big windows and hitting him in the face. He suddenly jumped up, remembering all the chores he had to do. Back in the village, there’d always be someone to remind him about chores: either his parents or that damn rooster that always woke him up, but here, at the castle, no one would remind him. They would just punish him if he forgot to do it.

After quickly getting dressed in the servants uniform he had been given, (a simple white shirt accompanied by a pair of pants) he went into the prince’s room, careful not to wake him up. However, it seemed like he didn’t have to worry about that.

The prince sat up in bed as soon as he entered. “Oh good, you’re awake,” he said, brushing a lock of dark hair out of his face.

Remus picked up a pile of clothes, before bowing to the prince. “Good morning, Your Highness,” he muttered sleepily.

“Okay, first of all, you can spare me from that ‘Your Highness’ crap,” the prince said, throwing his duvet to the side and standing up. “Secondly, where’s my shirt?”

Remus flushed a little as he hurried to make the prince’s bed, leaving the pile of dirty clothes on the floor. “Sorry, Your Hi-” he cut himself off, flushing even more. “I’ll get your shirt right away.”

Wondering why the prince couldn’t get his clothes for himself, Remus walked to the dresser, taking out a nice shirt for the prince, and some pants too. “We can’t have you walking around naked,” he muttered, a subtle smile on his face as he handed the prince his clothes.

He immediately regretted the joke, but to his great surprise, the prince laughed. “You’re quite funny, Remus,” he said, sitting down on his bed to pull on pants. “What a nice change. Everyone on the castle is _so_ boring.”

Remus wasn’t sure what to say to that, so he just picked up the dirty clothes again. He was about to go to the laundry room when it dawned on him. He had no idea where that was. And the castle was _huge_. He could probably walk around for hours without finding it. Slowly, he turned to the prince. “Uhm, excuse me, sir. Can you tell me where the laundry room is?”

The prince, who was in the process of buttoning his shirt, looked up at Remus. “Do I look like I’ve ever needed to be in a laundry room?” he asked, rolling his eyes.

Remus sighed. Did the prince really not know? Even if he hadn’t used it, he must know where it was. “I’m sorry, sir,” he muttered, bowing his head a little. “I just thought you might know since you’ve lived here your whole life.”

Sirius shrugged, getting up from the bed. “Let’s find it together,” he said.

“Excuse me?” Remus wasn’t sure he’d heard the prince correctly. Didn’t he have better things to do than go with a servant to the laundry room?

“I’ve got nothing better to do,” he said. “And we can do something fun too.” He chuckled, looking back at Remus. “You look like you’ve never had fun in your entire life.”

Remus wasn’t sure what fun thing Sirius wanted to do, but he definitely had a bad feeling about it, about this whole thing.

They walked along a hallway, then down a staircase and then along another hallway. Remus was starting to think Sirius was just stalling out time. Perhaps he was distracting him from his job, trying to get him in trouble? Remus was about to open his mouth, to say that he should get back to work, when Sirius stopped in front of a slightly opened wooden door, from where a pleasant smell came from.

“Uh… Is this the laundry room, sir?” Remus asked cautiously.

Sirius chuckled, shaking his head. “No, this is the kitchen. Are you hungry?”

The kitchen. That explained the smell, Remus thought. And thinking about it, he was quite hungry. He had gone straight to bed after doing all possible tasks for the prince last night, without having anything to eat first. “What are we doing at the kitchen, sir?” he asked, bowing his head a little.

The prince put his hand on Remus’s shoulder. Remus tensed up, not quite sure what to do.

“I need your help, Remus.”

“My- my help?” Remus stuttered. He wished he didn’t feel no nervous around the prince, but it was hard not to be nervous when he knew even the slightest mistake could have great consequences.

The prince nodded before peering inside the kitchen from the small opening. “Looks like Lily is the only one in there right now,” he said. “That means it’ll be really easy. You just have to distract her so I can sneak in, got it?”

Remus nodded, wondering who the hell Lily was. Sirius grinned, placing a hand on Remus’s back, between his shoulder blades and pushing him inside the kitchen.

A girl with red hair was inside, chopping onions, but looked up when Remus entered. She seemed to be around his age and was wearing the same servants uniform, except her pants were replaced by a skirt and an apron. She smiled when she saw him. “Can I help you?”

Remus smiled back politely, looking down at the pile of laundry he was still carrying. “Oh, yeah. Can you tell me how to get to the laundry room?” he asked.

The smile smiled and nodded. “It’s in the basement. I can show you if you want me to?”

Remus nodded, listening for the sound of Sirius sneaking past them. “Thank you,” he said, trying to drag out the time for the prince. “I just started working here, so everything is very foreign.”

“No problem,” the girl said with a soft chuckle. She brushed off her hands in her apron, before extending one hand to Remus. “I’m Lily.”

Remus smiled and shook her hand. His father had told him to always do a firm handshake, otherwise, no one would take him seriously. “I’m Remus,” he said.

Lily beamed at him, before gesturing at the door. “Want me to show you to the laundry room now, then?” she asked.

“Oh, yeah, thank you.” Remus was quite proud of the distraction he’d come up with. It would give the prince plenty of time to do whatever he wanted to do, and hopefully, he’d be happy with Remus too. Or at least not get angry. Remus hadn’t been in trouble yet, but he dreaded it every moment of being in the castle.

They were halfway out of the door when a loud sound could be heard, like metal falling to the ground. Lily stopped in the doorway, eyeing Remus suspiciously. “I’m all too familiar with this scenario,” she said. “You helped the prince sneak into the kitchen, didn’t you?”

Remus looked at his feet, not sure what to say. He was gonna be in trouble now, wasn’t he?

Lily turned back into the kitchen. More noises could be heard from the other room, as the prince no doubt scrambled to quickly find a hiding place.

They walked into the other room. A couple of trays had been knocked over and were lying on the ground. Lily sighed, rolling her eyes. “Sirius, I know it’s you,” she said impatiently. Remus was surprised that any servant dared speak to the prince in such a way.

A muffled snigger could be heard from a big cupboard, standing in the corner of the room. Again, Lily rolled her eyes. “Do you want to come out or should I call for the queen so she can drag you out by the hair?” she said, the playfulness in her voice concealed with her cold tone.

It only took a second before the prince scrambled out of the cabinet, looking slightly dishevelled. “Good morning, Lily,” he said cheerfully.

She sighed. “We’ve been over this. Stop trying to steal from the kitchens,” she said. “You can literally have anything you ask for, so why sneak in and cause so much trouble?”

The prince shrugged. “It’s more fun. Anyways, how’s your boyfriend?” he asked, grabbing an apple from a shelf and taking a bite.

“My-?” Lily’s face went bright red. She scoffed, turning away from the prince. “Potter is not my boyfriend! He’s not even my friend!”

“Yeah, keep telling yourself that.” The prince sniggered, putting the half-eaten apple back on the shelf. “Anyways, it was fun talking to you, but I’ll be going now. I’ve got a lot of stolen candy to eat.”

And with that, the prince left the kitchen. Remus wasn’t sure whether to follow or not. He turned to Lily, whose cheeks were still a bright red. “Is he always like that?” he asked quietly.

Lily chuckled, wiping her hands off in her apron. “Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it.” She looked at the pile of laundry still in Remus’s arms. “Do you want me to take that?”

Remus smiled gratefully but shook his head no. “It’s better if I do it myself. That way I’ll know where to go next time.”

“That’s smart,” Lily said, nodding approvingly. “Want me to show you the laundry room, then?”

“That’d be great,” he said, following her out the door.  

They went down a staircase to a part of the castle where Remus had never been before. Mind you, that didn’t say much. He had probably only seen a small part of the castle so far.

“He’s not so bad, you know,” Lily said after walking in silence for a little while. “The prince,” she added for clarification.

Remus shrugged. “I was told he’s a royal prick. And so far, he’s only proved that right.”

“A royal prick.” Lily laughed, looking up at Remus. “Potter said that, didn’t he?” She must’ve seen Remus’s confusion, because she went on to explain who this 'Potter' was. “He’s got this stupidly messy hair, and he’s kinda tall and his laugh is _so_ stupid.”

“Oh,” Remus nodded. Yeah I think that’s him. He’s a knight, right?”

Lily scoffed. “His _father_ is a knight. James is just a dumbass with a sword and way too much confidence.” Remus noticed her cheeks go red again as she spoke of the boy.

“Confidence? Yeah, i sensed that. He called the prince a prick. He must be brave to say such things about anyone in the royal family,” he muttered thoughtfully. “Couldn’t he get punished for that?”

The redhead laughed, shaking her head. “He and Sirius are best friends,” she said, looking up at Remus. “As far as i know, they’ve always been inseparable.”

They came to a halt in front of a wide doorway which seemed to be leading into the laundry room. “This is it,” Lily said, gesturing inside the room. “Just load the laundry off, someone will take care of it. I gotta get back to work, and you should too.”

“Yeah, thank you for all the help,” Remus said, shooting her a grateful smile, which she returned.

“No problem. You can always come to me if you need to. I’m usually by the kitchen.”  

Remus went to load off the laundry, before returning to the prince’s room. The prince was sitting cross-legged on the bed, surrounded by what looked like a variety of sweets and cake. He looked up when Remus entered. “Oi, you!” He scooted a little to the side, leaving space for Remus beside him. “Come here.”

Remus protested weakly, trying to let the prince know he had to get back to work, but the prince insisted. “C’mon, I can’t eat all of this by myself,” he said, patting the space beside him. “Just sit down and enjoy yourself for once!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, remember that kudos and comments mean so much to me! Please let me know your thoughts c:


	3. The Riot

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: even though it's not exactly very graphic and gory, there's an execution scene that may be a bit of an oof for some people. 
> 
> Oh and I haven't really read this through, so I'm sorry for typos or poorly phrased sentences!

Remus woke up to an abnormal amount of noise. Uproar, people shouting. They sounded angry. He got out of bed and rushed into the other room. The prince was already up, standing by the window and looking out.

“What’s happening?” Remus asked, not sure what to expect. Was someone attacking the castle?

The prince sighed. “A riot,” he said. “Seems like the villagers have had enough, once again.”

_Once again?_ “Does this happen often?” Remus asked, walking up to the window next to the prince. 

“Well, it’s been worse lately,” Sirius said thoughtfully. “Not sure why.”

Remus snorted. “Couldn’t have anything to do with the way you lot treat us, could it?” he said snarkily. Immediately, he knew that was a mistake. He shouldn’t use that kind of tone with the prince. 

Sirius looked at him. He didn’t appear angry. “What do you mean?” he asked.

Remus bowed his head. “Nothing. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.”

“Is it really that bad?” the prince asked, looking out of the window at the riot.

It wasn’t a  very big group. No more than ten or twenty people, most of them unarmed. Some of them were carrying knives or pickaxes or pieces of wood, and all of them were stomping and shouting in uproar, just outside the castle gates.

Remus chewed on his lip. “Shouldn’t someone do something?” he asked anxiously.

Sirius stepped away from the window. “Oh trust me, they will,” he said, in a tone that suggested he’d seen something like this before, perhaps many times. “Wanna go watch?” he asked, looking up at Remus. 

 

-

 

There was quiet in most parts of the castle, a strange contrast to the uproar outside. Sirius made his way down, towards the courtyard. He hadn’t looked behind him to check if Remus was following him, but he expected he would. 

He stopped just by the castle entrance when he saw his mother coming towards him, accompanied by four guards and the royal supervisor. She was wearing a shimmering, black gown, and her crown, that she so rarely wore, was perched on top of her head. His mother was already terrifying enough as it was, but when she wore her crown, it meant something was gonna happen. It meant she was about to show her power. 

Sirius had already prepared to run for his life, seeing the anger in her eyes, but it seemed that the anger wasn’t directed at him. 

Of course, this wasn’t about Sirius. It was about the people rioting outside. Sirius had almost forgotten about that. 

The queen lifted her arm to her head, securing that her crown sat perfectly on top of her head. Then she turned to one of the guards. “Open the gates,” she ordered, with a cold, demanding voice that made Sirius take a step back. 

The royal supervisor bowed his head to the queen. “Be careful, Your Majesty,” he said. “The people are very clearly angry-”

With a hand gesture, the queen silenced him. “Believe me,” she said with a cruel smile. “They are weak, and they will bow to my will.”

The supervisor nodded dutifully. “Just as they should,” he said, before looking at one of the guards. “Now do as the queen says, and open the gates.”

 

-

 

Remus stood behind the prince and watched, as the queen walked outside to greet the angry crowd. Although there were many of them, some of them armed, the queen didn’t seem afraid. She held her head high as she looked over the villagers with her cold grey eyes. 

The people, who had been shouting and making noise before, seemed to fall unnaturally silent as she looked at them, almost as if they were under some sort of spell. 

Once everyone was silent, the queen spoke: “Very well, speak up.” Her tone was seemingly calm, but Remus could hear something, unusually well-controlled anger beneath the calm. 

A man, probably in his thirties but it was hard to tell, stepped forward, trembling with fear at the sight of the queen. “Your Highness…” He trailed off, bowing his head in fear.

“What?” The queen hissed at him. “What do you wish to say, peasant?” She had a look of disgust on her face as she looked at the man. 

The man seemed to gather up the courage to speak. His hands were balled into fists as he glared up at the queen. “I won’t stand this any longer!” he shouted. “You and your bloody family, you take everything we have. All of our money! I haven’t eaten in days.”

There was a moment of silence. Remus moved forward to get a better look of the queen, but her face was impossible to read. After a moment that seemed to stretch out in eternity, the queen laughed, a cold humourless laugh.

“How tragic,” she said, a cruel smile on her lips as she gazed down at the man. “Grab him,” she said.

Guards quickly rushed forward from inside the castle and grabbed the man, giving him no time to run or put up any kind of fight. He struggled against their grip but it was no good, and they quickly dragged him away. 

The queen faced the rest of the crowd. “If I were you, I would get away from here. Unless, of course, you wanna be next.”

The people seemed to take her threat very seriously, which Remus thought, was probably for a good reason. In a matter of minutes, everyone who had been rioting, were out of sight, no doubt on their way home to their relative safety. 

As soon as queen started to go back inside, Sirius turned on his heel and started down the hallway. Remus followed him.

“What’s gonna happen to him?” he asked, although he wasn’t sure he wanted to know the answer. 

Sirius turned his head, looking at Remus. “What’s gonna happen to who?”

“The man,” Remus explained. “The one they took.”

“He’ll be executed.” The prince sounded awfully sure of what he was saying and he spoke in such a casual voice, a voice that suggested he’d experienced things like this many times. The thought made Remus sad, although he wasn’t sure why, but he pushed it away, instead focusing on cleaning the prince’s room.

 

-

 

The execution was to be held the next day, in the courtyard for everyone to watch. Remus didn’t exactly want to see an innocent man get murdered, but at the same time, it didn’t feel like he had much of a choice. 

At some point the next day, people started gathering in the yard and Remus just followed.

A little space had been made of wood outside the castle, almost like a stage. Beside that, a man was polishing a huge axe.

“Is he gonna get beheaded?” Remus asked, turning to Sirius who was right beside him. 

The prince nodded. “He’s quite lucky, really, that’s the quickest way to die.”

Remus snorted disbelievingly. “Lucky?”

It seemed like the whole village as well as everyone in the castle were there to watch, as two guards brought out the man, walking with him to the stand for his execution. He tried struggling, putting up a fight, but it was a half-hearted attempt like he knew it was pointless anyway.

The man looked over the crowd and for a moment, he was staring right into Remus’s eyes. Remus couldn’t bear to look. The look of fear in the man’s eyes: fear of the inevitable death that was coming closer every second. Then, the guards pushed him down into a kneeling position and forced his head onto the wooden block, and Remus could no longer see his eyes. 

“I can’t believe they’re executing him, just because of something stupid he did,” Remus muttered. Although in a way, that wasn’t true. He did believe that the king and queen were capable of such cruelty: he’d heard too many stories of similar things happening, but never had he thought he’d witness it himself.

The executioner got up, holding his axe as he slowly walked to the wooden block, where the guards were still holding down the man’s head. 

“Let this be a warning for everyone who might wish to cross the king and queen,” a guard said, looking out over the people, who all took a few steps back, averting their eyes to the ground. 

Then the executioner raised his axe, a cruel smirk forming on his lips. Remus wanted to look away but he couldn’t. He just watched as the axe fell, beheading the poor man with only one swift movement. The sound has the worst part of it. Metal cutting through flesh and bone before hitting the hard wood.

Remus winced, finally looking away from the bloody scene, and instead focusing on the prince. “Doesn’t this bother you at all?” he asked.

Sirius looked at him, then shrugged. He didn’t exactly look indifferent, but he clearly wasn’t very upset either. “If I had to be sad every time something like this happened, I’d never have time to be happy.”


	4. Duty

Blades clung against each other, the sound of metal hitting metal echoing across the courtyard.

Sirius hadn’t had time to train in a while, which meant James had the upper hand. Although Sirius moved more gracefully around, it was clear that James had been training a lot.

The messy-haired boy grinned cockily, manoeuvring Sirius up against a tree. “Too busy being a royal prick to practice with a sword, are we?” he asked, a teasing glint in his eyes.

“Oh, shut your arse,” Sirius grumbled, bringing James a few steps back with a forceful push, blade against blade.

“Well-” James swiftly swung his sword back, lunging at Sirius who quickly blocked with his own sword. “There’s no shame in admitting defeat,” he said smugly.

Sirius knew that there was, in fact, shame in admitting defeat. He’d rather die than surrender in a fight. Even though he knew, of course, that James wasn’t going to kill him. After all, they only fought for fun.

It looked like Sirius was going to lose this one, forced up against the tree, only just managing to block James’s sword. And it seemed that James knew. He gave Sirius a smug look, apparently allowing himself to relax a little and take a step back, perhaps in the belief that he’d already won.

Taking advantage of the opponent's cocky sloppiness, Sirius stuck his foot between James’s, causing the other to lose balance, before knocking him off his feet where he landed on the ground with a surprised yelp.

Sirius grinned triumphantly, extending his hand to help up James. “Wanna have another go?”

 

-

 

Remus had finished all his work for the day: he’d cleaned the prince’s room, polished his shoes, taken his clothes to the laundry room, and now there was nothing left for him to do. He sat by the window in the prince’s room for a while. There was a pretty decent view of the courtyard, where he could see the prince and his friend, James, training with their swords.

Perhaps he should go down there, he thought. There might be some more tasks he could do for the prince, and if not, he could at least get some fresh air and watch the fight.

The two boys were still at it when he got down to the courtyard. They didn’t seem to notice Remus, and he didn’t want to disturb them, so he just sat down on the grass and watched.  

The prince moved so gracefully, his dark hair dancing around his face in beautiful motions. For some reason, Remus couldn’t quite take his eyes off him.

James was the first to notice Remus there. He nodded towards them, muttering something that Remus couldn’t hear.

Sirius followed the nod, his eyes landing on Remus. He lowered his sword, smiling.

Remus smiled back, for a moment locking eyes with the prince before they both looked away.

He sat for a while, pulling at the grass to occupy himself, and to avoid looking back at Sirius. He wasn’t quite sure why, but he did it anyway. After not long, though, Sirius called out to him:

“Oi, Remus!”

Remus looked up, to see Sirius waving him over. Wondering what on earth the prince wanted, Remus got to his feet and walked the short distance to the two boys.

“Have you ever tried fighting with a sword before?” Sirius asked, gesturing to his own sword which was perched against the tree.

Remus shook his head, look apprehensively from Sirius to the sword. “No,” he said. In fact, he’d never even held a sword before, except for the times he’d polished Sirius’s.

The two boys looked at each other, then back at Remus. “Well, do you want to try it?” James asked.

Oh, that’s what this was about. They just wanted to humiliate him, didn’t they?

Remus shrugged, backing a single step away. “I’m not sure-”

“Come on!” Sirius urged him, picking up the sword and holding it out to him. “I’ll teach you. It’ll be fun.” The prince tilted his head slightly to the side, looking up at Remus with big, innocent puppy eyes. “Please?”

Although Remus doubted it would be fun, saying no to the prince seemed like an even worse idea. “Alright,” he muttered, hesitantly taking the sword. It was much heavier than he had expected and he had to use both hands to carry it.

He tried to lift up the sword in a ready-to-fight position, but it didn’t exactly feel like he was doing it right. “How exactly am I supposed to hold it?” he muttered, glancing at the prince.

“Here, let me show you how to stand and how to hold the sword,” Sirus said, sounding quite amused.

He moved to stand behind Remus, leaning in to grab his hands holding the sword. Remus drew in a sharp breath, his whole body tensing up at the prince’s touch. Ignoring Remus’s reaction, Sirius leaned in closer, so close Remus could feel the prince’s heartbeat against his shoulder blades, and carefully, he adjusted the way Remus held the sword and where his hands were.

“That’s better.” Sirius pulled away, leaving Remus with a bright red face. “Oh, and if you take one foot forward you’ll have better balance.”

Remus did as he said, putting left foot a bit forward. He left out a breath, not even realizing he’d been holding it, and forced himself to relax a bit. “So, uhh… Now what?” he asked hesitantly, looking at Sirius.

Sirius shrugged. “Now you and James can fight,” he said, grinning. “While I watch.”

“I- What?” Remus looked disbelievingly back and forth against the two boys.

James chuckled, picking up his sword. “Don’t worry, I promise I’ll go easy on you,” he said, getting into a position to fight.

Hoping James would keep his promise, Remus faced him, ready to fight. “I’d appreciate it if you would avoid chopping off any of my limbs,” he muttered.

James laughed, just a hint of arrogance in his voice as he spoke: “I know what I’m doing, Remus.”

Remus took a deep breath to prepare himself, gripping the heavy sword hard with both hands, but before he really felt ready, James lunged at him, the two swords clinging against each other. In surprise, and because of the force James had used, the sword flew from Remus’s hands, landing on the grass next to him.

Both Sirius and James laughed, as James lowered his own sword. “Well, that was even easier than expected,” he said through laughter.

Blushing, Remus bent down and picked up the sword, handing it back to the laughing prince. “I hope nothing happened to your sword,” he muttered.

Still laughing, Sirius accepted the sword. “Thank you, Remus. That was so funny to watch.”

“Perhaps you and I should show him how it’s really done,” James said to Sirius, a huge grin still on his face.

Sirius nodded in agreement, but just as the two were about to start fighting again, a young maid came up behind them, an intimidated look on her face. “Excuse me, your highness,” she piped up, her voice barely loud enough to be heard.

“Yes?” Sirius turned around, lowering his sword as he saw the maid. “What is it?”

“Your parents sent me to tell you that dinner is ready. They would like you to dine with them.”

Sirius huffed, dropping his sword on the ground. “Tell them I’ll be right there.”

Picking up the sword, Remus followed the prince back to the castle, taking a short detour to his room to put the sword back, before going to the throne room where the prince would be eating dinner with his family. The large wooden door was shut, and Remus knew he wasn’t allowed to enter unless the king or queen had ordered him there, which they hadn’t, so he waited outside for the prince to be finished.

 

-

 

Sirius entered the throne room where the long table was set, his mother and father already sitting at one end, waiting for him. The queen looked up when the large wooden door shut behind him, but his father, the king, didn’t seem to bother.

“Your Highness.” One of the castle maids, whose name Sirius didn’t know, pulled out a chair for him at the closest end of the table, furthest away from the king and queen. “Enjoy your dinner.”

Sirius sat down, muttering a quick thanks to the maid before she was waved off by his father. He took a deep breath before looking up at his parents. Instantly, he felt the need to hide, to get away from both of their disapproving glares, but he stayed put in his chair. “What is the reason you’ve called me here?” he asked, in a strangely formal voice he almost didn’t recognize. There was always a reason: they never bothered having dinner with him unless they wanted to talk about something.

His mother cleared her throat, watching him for a moment before looking away. “We have some important matters to discuss,” she answered coldly, without emotion.

Sirius couldn’t remember her ever showing him any form of emotion, except anger and disappointment. He crossed his arms, looking at the queen from across the long table. “What important matters?” he asked.

“Be patient, Sirius.”

Although he didn’t want to admit it, Sirius wanted to cower under the command, but he kept his head high, glaring stubbornly at his mother.

The maids entered, placing dishes of food on the table in front of them. “Thank you,” Sirius muttered under his breath, giving a quick nod to the maid as she put a plate with a sort of meat, pork perhaps, in front of him.  

His parents never spoke to the maids or servants, unless it was to give them orders. Sirius didn’t want to be like that. He always tried to make an effort to be nice to these people, although it was hard to remember to do so. After all, he’d grown up seeing these people as lower than him, only there to be his servants. That was bullshit, though, he knew that. They had hopes and dreams just like him and deserved to be treated as humans. And of course, he enjoyed every little act of rebellion he got to do against his parents.

The king cleared his throat and Sirius jerked his head up, meeting his father’s cold gaze.

“I trust you to know,” his father began, “that you, as the heir to the throne, have an important duty.”

Sirius resisted the urge to just get up and leave. “Yes father,” he muttered, digging his fingernails into his palms to stop himself from saying or doing something he would get punished for.

His father gave him a small nod, the biggest kind of praise he would ever give away. “And I trust that you also know about the problems we are currently facing, concerning our neighbouring kingdom.”

Sirius nodded. Yes, he knew. Not that he cared.

“Even though they’re family to us, it seems that they’re becoming more and more interested in war, instead of upholding the old tradition of helping one another out.”

Sirius wasn’t sure where his father was going with this, so he listened quietly as the king continued:

“We believe the best way to re-strengthen our bond with them is by legally forcing our kingdoms together once again.”   
“You want me to marry my cousin.” Sirius wanted to scream, but he kept his voice calm. His parents were crazy if they thought he was going to agree to something like that.

It seemed that it was now his mothers turn to speak. “It’s the best way to ensure a continued partnership between our kingdom and theirs,” she said. “And you know very well that this is your duty.”

Sirius sighed, his breathing shaky with the strain of remaining calm. Duty just meant he didn’t have a choice. He pushed the still full plate away from him, quickly standing up. “Thanks for the talk,” he said. “I’m done.”

And before either of his parents could order him to sit down again, he turned on his heels and stormed out of the doors.

 

-

 

Remus looked up as the large wooden doors flew open and the prince bolted out, muttering out swearwords, some of which Remus had never even heard before.

He got to his feet, following Sirius as he practically ran out of the door and down to the courtyard, dumping down by the large tree.

Remus hesitated for a moment, before stepping closer. “Hey.”

Sirius glanced up, looking at Remus for a moment before looking down again, pulling aggressively at the grass. He took a deep breath, perhaps to calm himself down, before speaking. “I don’t think we’re all that different, Remus,” he said thoughtfully.

Remus couldn’t possibly see what he meant. After all, Remus was a poor servant while Sirius was a _prince_ , even an heir to the throne. “I’m sorry,” he said. “But I’m not sure I’m following.”

“You didn’t want to come work here, did you?” Sirius asked.

Sighing, Remus sat down against the tree, next to the prince. “No, I guess I didn’t,” he muttered. “But I didn’t really have a choice.”

Sirius nodded, looking at him again. “No one really wants to be here,” he said. “If I had the choice, I would just run away.”

“Why?” Remus asked, watching the prince with a thoughtful look on his face. “You have everything here. Wealth, servants, people who are willing to kiss your ass…” he trailed off, realizing how rude he really sounded.

The prince let out a dry laugh, shaking his head. “I hate it here, Remus. You don’t know what it’s like: The constant pressure from my parents, and of course,  my so-called ‘duty’...” He went quiet, and Remus thought he might not have anything more to say, but after sitting in silence for a while, the prince spoke again: “I just don’t wanna be another pawn in their chess game.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you enjoyed the chapter! if you did, please leave kudos and a nice comment! that really is the only thing that keeps me motivated to continue posting, and I generally don't get a lot of it.  
> oh, and follow me on tumblr @whom-ping-willow


	5. The Royal Ball

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for not updating this for so long!! I'm the worst, aren't I?  
> I guess I kinda abandoned it (and all my other WIPs) for a while but I'll try to get back into more of a routine now. please forgive me.  
> but yeah, here is the chapter. a big thanks to @universallyjustme on Tumblr for beta reading it for me <3

_Sirius was running as fast as he could: what exactly he was running from was unclear to him, but he did know that he had to keep running because whatever was following him was a vicious monster who wanted to swallow him whole._

_His lungs ached for air, but it seemed that there was no more air in the world: no matter how hard he tried to breathe, it felt as if he was suffocating._

_He ran and ran and ran until suddenly, he couldn’t run anymore. He had stopped just in time: had he continued running just a step more, he would’ve fallen from the cliff that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. Panting hard, Sirius stared into the gaping abyss. What on earth could he possibly do now?_

_He turned around, facing the monster that had been chasing him: at first, it appeared to be nothing more than shapeless blackness, but after staring at it for a few seconds, Sirius thought he could detect something else: a familiar face with prominent cheekbones and vicious grey eyes, staring directly at him as it got closer. Soon, the monster would reach him, and he couldn’t dare to even imagine what it would do to him._

_The turned back towards the cliff, staring down into a gaping hole, deeper than his eyes could see. He swallowed, his heart pounding fast, threatening to escape his chest. There was no way of escaping. It was either the vicious monster or the endless nothingness of falling into the abyss. Sirius closed his eyes, counted to three and, trying not to think too much about it, he jumped._

_For a moment, there was nothing but the dropping sensation of falling._ Then Sirius woke up.

 

-

 

Remus was woken up by a cold hand shaking him into consciousness. 

“What?” he mumbled, his words slurred by sleepiness. 

“ _Remus_.” The desperation in the prince’s shaky voice made Remus open his eyes and sit up in bed. 

“Sirius? What’s wrong?”

The prince was drenched in sweat and his hands, still holding onto Remus, were shaking. “I- I had a nightmare,” he stammered, his eyes panicked and full of tears. “Can I- can I stay with you?”

Remus nodded, scooting over to the edge of the bed to make room for Sirius. He couldn’t help but blush as the prince cuddled up against him, burying his face in the fabric of Remus’s shirt, but though instinct told him to move away, he stayed, hesitantly wrapping an arm around the prince. 

“Mhhh, you’re so soft and warm,” Sirius mumbled sleepily, which only made Remus blush deeper. He was quiet for some time, and Remus thought he might have fallen asleep. “Hey, Remus?”

Well, perhaps not. “Yeah?” Remus muttered quietly. 

“Thank you for being here.”

Remus wasn’t sure why, but those words made his heart skip a beat. “Oh, uhm…” At this moment, he was grateful for the darkness: it would be mortifying if the prince could see the colour of his cheeks. “You should get some sleep now, I think,” he mumbled. “Tomorrow is a big day.”

Remus wasn’t actually sure about the significance of royal balls, but he did know that the royal family’s relatives from the neighbouring kingdom would be arriving to discuss the future engagement between Sirius and his cousin: the king and queen would certainly expect Sirius to be on his best behaviour. 

Sirius sighed. “You’re right. Goodnight, Remus.”

“Goodnight,” he muttered. Remus still couldn’t quite believe that Sirius was really expected to marry his own cousin. The more he thought about it, the happier he was that he wasn’t a prince. 

 

-

 

Sirius felt more like a statue than anything else as he stood beside the castle gate, staring straight ahead. To his left side, his brother Regulus was standing, and even though Sirius couldn’t see the look on his face, he knew Regulus was staring rigidly ahead just as he was. 

On both sides of the gates, guards were standing, and in the gates opening were the king and queen themselves, ready to welcome their relatives. 

Sirius hated everything about this. He hated ‘family reunions’ and stupid royal balls, and he especially hated the idea of marrying his own cousin. 

He hadn’t seen Bellatrix, or any of his cousins actually, since he was 10, but even then she had been absolutely horrible. He doubted she would be any nicer now. 

Sirius was fairly certain most normal people greeted their relatives with warm hugs and loving words, but that was far from how they did it in his family: the Black family greeted their relatives with formal handshakes and royal balls. 

Queen Druella Black was almost as terrifying as Sirius’s mother. Her long blonde hair, a contrast to most of the family’s dark hair, wavered slightly in the wind as she greeted Sirius with a cold, stern glare, then quickly moved on to his brother. One by one, his relatives came to greet him.

“Hello, Sirius.” His youngest cousin, Narcissa, gave him an unpleasant smile which he returned, resisting the urge to stick his tongue out at her. 

Next was Bellatrix. Sirius grimaced. Although he hadn’t seen her since they were both a lot younger, he immediately recognized her sharp features, dark hair and unruly eyes. “Hello, cousin,” she said, giving him a wicked smile. “Or should I say… future husband and co-ruler of our two kingdoms?”

Sirius wanted to throw up. On her face. 

One relative he was actually excited to be reunited with was Andromeda. He just hoped she hadn’t grown to be too much like her sisters. 

“Sirius,” Andromeda smiled when she saw him. “Oh, it’s been so long!” 

“It has,” Sirius agreed, returning her smile. Andromeda resembled her older sister a lot, but her eyes were so much kinder and softer, and her presence made Sirius feel just a little bit better about this whole thing.

“How are you?” she asked.

Sirius grimaced. “Same old, I suppose,” he muttered. “You?”

“Well…” She looked around as if to make sure none of the others heard her. “Let’s talk later, okay? I have some things I need to talk about, and I’ve got a feeling I can trust you.”

Sirius wanted so to know what it was she wanted to talk about, but it would have to wait, he supposed. Pushing his curiosity away, he gave her another smile. “Of course,” he said. “I’ll see you at the ball.”

 

-

 

Sirius entered the ballroom, head raised high, shoulders back, his too fancy silk clothes sitting perfectly on him, not a fold in the wrong place. His parents would almost be proud, which told him that he was definitely doing something wrong. He probably looked like the royal asshole everyone thought him to be.

Music from a small orchestra filled the room, as well as the crowd of royals and posh aristocrats.

He spotted Remus in the crowd, talking to another servant, and his heart skipped a beat. Last night, in Remus’s arms… he couldn’t remember ever feeling safer than that. Remus laughed at something the servant said and as he did so, his curly locks danced around his head. 

“What are you staring at?” 

Startled, Sirius turned around to see his brother standing next to him. “I wasn’t staring at anybody,” he answered defensively. He turned his head away from his brother, scanning the crowd once more but Remus was nowhere to be seen. He’d have to look for him later, though. 

“You were definitely staring at something,” Regulus persisted. “Or _someone_.”

“Fine,” Sirius sighed over dramatically. “I was staring at the food, Reg. Just couldn’t take my eyes off that beautiful roasted chicken.”

Regulus scoffed and rolled his eyes. “You are so stupid.” 

There was a playful glint in Regulus’s eyes and for a moment, Sirius recognized his brother: the young, carefree boy who used to play around the castle grounds with him all the time. Then, as their mother’s gaze landed on them from the other side of the ballroom, the playfulness left Regulus’ eyes and he became his usual self, much too serious and grown-up for a 16-year-old boy. 

Looking around, Sirius saw his cousin, Andromeda, standing by herself next to a window. They locked eyes and she smiled, making her way over to him and Regulus. 

“Hello, cousin,” Regulus greeted, his voice so stiff and formal: Sirius hated it.

“Hello, Regulus.” Andromeda smiled, looking between the two of them. “Do you mind if I borrow your brother for a minute?” Right, she had wanted to talk about something, Sirius remembered, his curiosity only growing stronger. 

Regulus shook his head. “Not at all,” he answered. “I was just about to go and greet some of our guests. I’ll talk to both of you later.”

Sirius followed his cousin out of the ballroom into an empty hallway. “Why all of the secrecy?” he asked, unable to mask his curiosity.

Andromeda smiled innocently. “I just wanted to catch up with my favourite cousin,” she said. But clearly, it was more than that.

“So you brought me to a deserted hallway just to ’catch up’?” Sirius asked with much suspicion. 

His cousin sighed, leaning against the wall. “Okay, I have something to tell you that I… can’t really tell any of the others,” she explained. 

Sirius nodded. “What is it?”

“It’s, well…” Andromeda looked unsure for a moment as if she was having second thoughts about telling Sirius. Then, very quickly, she blurted out: “You know how last year I got engaged to that asshole of a prince? Well, I’m not marrying him!”

“What?” Sirius didn’t understand. He had thought it was decided and had been like that for over a year, that Andromeda should marry some prince from another kingdom. “What do you mean you aren’t marrying him? Is that something your parents have decided?”

She shook her head. “They don’t know yet, but I… I found someone else.” She sighed, looking away. “He’s not exactly… of the same status as me, but I love him.”

For some reason, Remus’s face popped up in Sirius’s head. He shook the image away, focusing on his cousin again. “But, Andy… Do you really think they’ll let you marry some commoner?” he asked.

“No,” she said, taking a deep breath before continuing with more confidence: “Which is why I’m planning to run away with him.”

“What?!” Sirius stared at her, wide-eyed. “An, are you... are you sure about this?”

She nodded resolutely. “Yes, Sirius, I’m completely sure. I never asked to be a princess,” she said. “And no one is going to stop be from living a normal life with Ted, far away from all of my duties.”

Sirius doubted Andromeda knew as much about duties as he did. Although she was older than him, she wasn’t heir to the throne: she didn’t have the faith and expectations of two entire kingdoms resting on her shoulders, not in the same way he did. But that wasn’t really the point, was it? She was still expected to engage in a political marriage, when clearly all she wanted was to marry someone out of love. Sirius could, in a way, understand that. 

Choosing his words carefully, he wished Andromeda good luck. She smiled, hesitant for a moment before pulling him into a hug. But when they pulled away, she was no longer smiling. 

“I cannot believe our parents are really asking you to marry Bella,” she said, her voice a mix of disgust and sympathy.

“Well-” Sirius glared at the wall, playing absentmindedly with his sleeve. “I wouldn’t really say they’re ‘asking’ me. It’s not like I have a choice.”

Andromeda looked like she wanted to say something to that, but it seemed that she couldn’t think of anything to say.

“It’s not like I can just run away like you,” he muttered, looking down. “Whether I like it or not, I’ll need to run the kingdom one day.”

He looked at Andromeda who sighed unhappily. “It’s disgusting enough that she’s your cousin, Sirius, but she’s also much older than you!” she exclaimed, as though it would make any difference. “You’re practically still a child.”

Sirius laughed humorlessly, shaking his head. “I’m not a child anymore, An,” he said. 

Again, she sighed. “I know, I know, but… I guess I just can’t help but see you as that carefree little boy you were last time I saw you.” The words reminded Sirius of his own thoughts regarding his brother: the only difference was Regulus really was no more than a child, pretending to be all grown-up. Sirius wondered briefly if that’s how Andromeda saw him as well. 

“We should probably go back to the party now,” he said, breaking the silence that had fallen between them.

“I suppose we should,” his cousin agreed. 

 

-

 

Once insides the ball room again, Sirius searched the crowd for Remus. He found him, making his way through a group of people, a tray balancing in his hands. Sirius hurried over to him.

“Remus.”

The curly-haired boy turned around, his cheeks slightly pink. “Can I help you with anything?” he asked. 

Sirius smiled, extending his hand. “Care to dance?” he asked, perhaps just a little too hopeful.

Remus looked taken aback, staring at Sirius’s hand to his eyes, then looking around at the people surrounding them. “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” he said. “I have work to do, and so do you, I’m sure.”

“But- ” Sirius frowned, his hand still hanging in the air in front of Remus. “Come on, Remus,” he said, putting on his most charming smile. “I’m sure you can abandon your work for a moment to have a bit of fun.”

For a moment, Sirius thought Remus was going to take his hand and agree to dance, but instead he shook his head, the only dance performed was by his curly locks. “I’m sorry, Sirius,” he muttered. “Now just isn’t a good time.”

Sirius sighed, finally letting his hand fall down and dangle aimlessly at his side. “Fine, but you owe me a dance then,” he said. “For when it _is_ a good time.”

“Alright.” Remus smiled, meeting his eyes. “I suppose I will owe you, then.” And with that, he picked up another tray and left, leaving Sirius to stare after him and wonder why his whole world felt better and brighter whenever Remus was there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey, if you liked this chapter please show me by leaving kudos and a comment!  
> you can also follow me (and reach out to me if you want to) on Tumblr @whom-ping-willow

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for checking out my fic! If you want to, you can follow me (and talk to me) on Tumblr: https://whom-ping-willow.tumblr.com/


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